Historical objects should be brought back to their country of origin. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
There is a debate today about whether historical artefacts should be returned to the countries in which they originated. In my opinion, this should in fact be the case, as returning ancient items would reflect the atonement for the mistakes that the forefathers of a country has made.
Some may argue that historical antiques should not be returned since it is unnecessary to do so, and transporting them may impose unnecessary risks on the objects. Ancient items may be so far removed from their contemporary civilization that returning it to the modern-day country might well be as foreign as staying in its current country. For instance, many items from Ancient Greece reflect a whole different society than Greece today, and so it is incomprehensible to return them to a people that is so far removed from the original society that they cannot claim ownership to it.
On the other hand, it could be said that many historical objects today which belong in another country have been transported there as a result of conquest and imperialism. In the past, artefacts from other cultures were often stolen from natives from the third world in order to be displayed by the West - this makes it painful for descendants of plundered people today to not have items belonging to their forefathers. For example, most items in the British museum have been collected from its colonies through bloody struggle, and thus, it could be said that in a time of peace, returning the items to its place of origin is an act of making up for the past.
Therefore, I argue that since most historical objects today have been violently seized from other areas of the world, in a time of unprecedented peace, any artefacts should be returned to their place of making.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise term Original: antiques Suggested revision: artefacts Why it matters: Artefacts is the more precise term for objects of historical or cultural significance.
- 2. Fix pronoun agreement Original: it Suggested revision: them Why it matters: The pronoun must agree with the plural noun items.
- 3. Fix plural reference Original: its Suggested revision: their Why it matters: Use a plural possessive pronoun to refer back to ancient items.
- 4. Use formal wording Original: whole Suggested revision: completely Why it matters: Completely is more appropriate than whole as an adverb modifying different.
- 5. Clarify the judgement Original: it is incomprehensible to return them Suggested revision: it makes little sense to return them Why it matters: Incomprehensible describes something impossible to understand rather than a decision viewed as illogical.
- 6. Correct preposition Original: ownership to it Suggested revision: ownership of them Why it matters: Ownership takes the preposition of, and the pronoun should refer to the plural items.
- 7. Refine relative clause Original: which Suggested revision: that Why it matters: That is the more natural relative pronoun in this defining clause.
- 8. Use appropriate tense Original: have been transported there as a result Suggested revision: were transported there as a result Why it matters: The simple past suits the completed historical acts of conquest and imperialism.
- 9. Use neutral wording Original: natives from the third world Suggested revision: people in colonised countries Why it matters: This wording is more precise and avoids an outdated generalisation.
- 10. Clarify location Original: displayed by the West Suggested revision: displayed in Western countries Why it matters: The revised phrase identifies where the objects were displayed more clearly.
- 11. Improve infinitive order Original: to not have items Suggested revision: not to have items Why it matters: Placing not before the infinitive is more natural in formal writing.
- 12. Capitalize proper name Original: museum Suggested revision: Museum Why it matters: Both words in the institution's proper name require capital letters.
Suggested Rewrites
- antiques artefacts
- it them
- its their
- whole completely
- it is incomprehensible to return them it makes little sense to return them
- ownership to it ownership of them
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response’s strongest feature is its clear position, supported by a relevant counterargument and a logically developed case about colonial acquisition. Its main limitation is imprecision in some claims and examples, alongside recurring agreement and pronoun errors. The highest-priority improvement is to qualify broad assertions with more carefully explained evidence while editing complex sentences for consistent number agreement and reference.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response maintains a clear agreement position and develops relevant reasons on both the practical objection and the case for restitution.
Qualify sweeping claims about how artefacts were acquired and explain the supporting examples with greater precision.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through a clear introduction, opposing view, supporting view, and conclusion, with generally effective linking.
Make reference chains more precise so plural artefacts, countries, and peoples are consistently and unambiguously connected.
Lexical Resource
A wide vocabulary, including terms such as imperialism, conquest, and descendants, conveys the argument with flexibility despite some awkward collocations.
Replace imprecise combinations such as reflect the atonement and place of making with natural, exact academic phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures successfully, although agreement and singular-plural reference errors recur.
Proofread complex sentences for subject-verb agreement and consistent pronouns, especially where plural objects are discussed.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Historical objects should be brought back to their country of origin. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.